Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish and place in the Library of the House the concordat defining the relationships and responsibilities of the four United Kingdom competent authorities for regulating and monitoring genetically modified food and crops; and what is the role of the Food Standards Agency in formulating policy on genetically modified food and crops.

Lord Davies of Oldham: I have arranged for a copy of the concordat on the implementation of Directive 2001/18/EC and Regulation 1946/2003/EC to be placed in the Library of the House. A copy of the concordat can also be viewed on the Scottish Executive's website.
	The Food Standards Agency is an independent government department set up by Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food. Government Ministers will take account of the agency's advice when formulating policy on food issues, including genetically modified food.

Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they voted in favour of authorising the three genetically modified maize varieties MON863xMON810, MON863xNK603 and MON863xMON810xNK603 in the Council of Ministers; and whether they consulted the competent authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland prior to the vote.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The UK voted in favour of authorising all three maize varieties in line with the scientific evidence in each case. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the lead government department under the EU GM Food and Feed Regulation (1829/2003/EC) and is the single UK-wide competent authority for the GM food and feed safety aspects of this legislation. The FSA consults Defra on the environmental risk assessment of food and feed applications, and Defra in turn consults the competent authorities in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the environmental aspects prior to any votes.

Alcohol

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many retailers in each district of Greater Manchester were convicted for selling alcohol to minors in each of the last five years.

Lord West of Spithead: The number of the defendants proceeded against and found guilty at all courts for sale or allowing the sale of alcohol to a person under 18 in Greater Manchester police force area 2004 to 2008 can be viewed in the attached table.
	A penalty notice for disorder (PND) can be issued for the offence of sale of alcohol to person under 18 and these figures have been included in the table.
	Court proceedings and PND data are not available at district level, therefore information is given for the Greater Manchester Police force area.
	Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned to be published in the autumn 2010.
	The number of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued, defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty within Greater Manchester for sale, or allowing sale of alcohol to a person under 18(1), England and Wales, 2004 to 2008(2)(3)
	
		
			 Year Total PNDs issued(4) Proceeded against Found guilty 
			 2004 - 180 135 
			 2005 127 117 92 
			 2006 211 160 112 
			 2007 141 35 30 
			 2008 135 39 29 
		
	
	* = Not applicable.
	(1) Data includes the following offence descriptions and corresponding statutes:
	Selling etc intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises-Licensing Act 1964 S.169 A & B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S.1, Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 S.3 [Sch. Para. 4 (1)].
	Sale of alcohol to person under 18-Licensing Act 2003 S.146.
	Allowing sale of alcohol to person under 18-Licensing Act 2003 S.147.
	Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18 -Licensing Act 1964 S.181A(1) as added by Licensing Act 1988 S.17.
	Persistently selling alcohol to children-Licensing Act 2003 S.147A as added by Violent Crime reduction Act 2006.
	(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
	(3) The "total proceeded against" statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	(4) First year of PND scheme. PNDs were rolled out nationally on 1 April 2004.
	(5) We don't collect the data below Police Force Area.
	Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.
	Ref: 151-10

Ambulance Service: Voluntary Crew

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that members of voluntary ambulance services will be eligible to receive Diamond Jubilee medals in 2012.

Lord Mandelson: Planning for the Diamond Jubilee is at an early stage. Eligibility and criteria for receipt of the medal is under consideration. Further details will be released in due course.

Armed Forces: Equipment

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the value of exports of military equipment and services to Oman in each of the past three years.

Lord Davies of Abersoch: Values of exports of military equipment and services to Oman are shown below for the past three years for which figures are available. Values for 2009 have not yet been finalised.
	
		
			 Year £ million 
			 2006 12 
			 2007 427 
			 2008 16

Bovine Tuberculosis

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government why there has been a reduction in the spread of bovine tuberculosis to new parishes, as reported in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' autumn performance report 2009.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Part of the reduction in the-spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in new parishes is due to pre-movement testing, which is performed on animals moving out of herds in parishes tested yearly or two-yearly. This form of testing was first introduced in the spring of 2006 and intensified in 2007, and is intended in the main to protect herds in low-incidence areas that might receive animals from high-risk areas. Herds in low-risk areas are precisely the herds that are monitored under the bovine TB indicator as part of Public Service Agreement 9 (PSA 9) and that tend to be skin-tested once in four years. The indicator commenced in 2003 and targets a reduction in the spread of bTB to new parishes to below the incremental trend of 17.5 confirmed new incidents per annum by the end of 2008. Since it would take up to four years for any reduction in bTB infection resulting from pre-movement testing to show its full effect on skin testing results, we would expect any effect on the PSA 9 indicator to continue into 2010.
	Although the apparent year-on-year reduction in bTB incidence in new parishes (despite the increase in numbers of herds and animals tested for bTB in 2009) is welcome, the Government remain cautious and do not want to read too much into the short-term disease trends, given the cyclical and multifactorial nature of bTB incidence in the endemic areas. The incidence of bTB in parts of England is still far too high for EU standards and we continue to take the fight against the disease very seriously, not least because of the serious impact it has on farmers.

Buying Solutions

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was paid by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its agencies to (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) KPMG, (c) Deloitte, (d) Ernst and Young, (e) Grant Thornton, (f) BDO Stoy Hayward, (g) Baker Tilly, (h) Smith & Williamson, (i) Tenon Group, (j) PKF, (k) McKinsey and Company, and (l) Accenture, in each of the past five years for which information is available; how they monitor contracts with those firms; and how the department reports (1) during, and (2) at the end of, contracts to Buying Solutions.

Lord Brett: The following amounts have been paid in the UK by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and its agencies to the following companies over the past five years. Information regarding spend with those companies by our posts overseas is not available centrally and is only available at disproportionate cost.
	FCO paid PricewaterhouseCoopers £6,228 in 2004-05, £254,446 in 2005-06, £384,197 in 2006-07, £313,299 in 2007-08, and £341,287 in 2008-09; KPMG £41,918 in 2004-05, £139,536 in 2006-07, £135,733 in 2007-08, and £1,701,658 in 2008-09 (in connection with the vital upgrading of FCO's secure international communications system); Deloitte £13,353 in 2004-05; Ernst and Young £44,148 in 2008-09; PKF £13,113 in 2005-06, and £8,948 in 2006-07; McKinsey and Company £111,625 in 2005-06; and Accenture £65,393 in 2005-06.
	FCO Services, an Executive Agency of the FCO operating as a Trading Fund since 1 April 2008, paid PricewaterhouseCoopers £38,008 in 2007-08, and £111,186 in 2008-09; and KPMG £128,912 in 2007-08, and £24,320 in 2008-09.
	For all other years and firms the figure is nil.
	Total consultancy spending at end December 2009 was £17 million and is tracking at just over £22 million for this financial year-about 1 per cent of the overall FCO budget. The figure for consultancy spending in 2008-09 was £29.9 million. So overall our expenditure on consultancy is falling.
	Contracts were awarded on the basis of supporting key government initiatives and were the result of rigorous competitive tendering processes conducted in strict accordance with the Office of Government Commerce guidelines, making best use of existing framework agreements.
	Annual expenditure on consultants is published each year in our annual departmental report, copies of which are available in the Library of the House and on our website.
	Departmental contract managers within the FCO manage the day to day contract performance and delivery in line with best practice. Departments are not required to report spend data to Buying Solutions, although we periodically provide information to it on request to assist with its audit requirements.

Child Carers

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children are not in full-time education because they are caring for another member of the family (a) in England, (b) in Greater Manchester, and (c) in the City of London.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: This data is not held centrally.

Community Broadband Network

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request the National Audit Office to investigate the formation, management and accounts of Community Broadband Network (CBN) and request accounts to be submitted for outstanding years; whether they will place such accounts in the Library of the House; what progress the Mutual Societies Permissions, Decisions and Reporting Division, Supervision Business Unit of the Financial Services Authority is making in investigating the organisation; how much money they have paid to the CBN each year; and which department paid the money.

Lord Young of Norwood Green: There are no plans for Government to make these requests. A seedcorn grant of £30,000 was given to the Community Broadband Network in financial year 2003-04 by the Department for Trade and Industry. A further grant of £30,000 was provided by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in Financial Year 2004-05.

Cyprus: Property

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the European Court of Human Rights' ruling that the Immovable Property Commission of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was an "appropriate forum for deciding on complex matters of property ownership and valuation and assessing financial compensation", they will increase their interest in the human rights of Turkish Cypriots.

Lord Brett: The Government maintain a keen interest in human rights issues in Cyprus and this will continue.

Cyprus: Property

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the European Court of Human Rights' ruling that the Immovable Property Commission of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was an "appropriate forum for deciding on complex matters of property ownership and valuation and assessing financial compensation", they will rescind the 2008 Memorandum of Understanding between the Prime Minister and Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias; and, if not, whether they will propose a memorandum of understanding with the Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat.

Lord Brett: The Government have no intention of altering their commitment to the 2008 Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the Republic of Cyprus, or of proposing a memorandum of understanding with the leaders of the Turkish Cypriot community. The Government fully support the leaders of both communities in the settlement negotiations.

Debt: Reduction

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HM Treasury uses international investment banks to provide advice on debt reduction instruments.

Lord Myners: The Treasury does not use debt reduction instruments.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle corruption through measures to increase transparency in developing countries rich in natural resources, in particular in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda; and what steps they are taking to ensure that United Kingdom companies working in those countries publish details of payments made to the countries' Governments.

Lord Brett: In the Democratic Republic of the Congo we are working with the international community, particularly the World Bank, European Commission, International Monetary Fund and UNDP, to increase transparency in the DRC. We are supporting government institutions to develop a more efficient and transparent public financial management system, and are working to improve the quality of government audit and budgeting processes.
	We continue to encourage British companies trading in natural resources from DRC to do so in a way which is socially, economically and environmentally responsible, and to adhere to the voluntary guidelines set out by the OECD. Our strategy for DRC places a strong emphasis on greater transparency and better management of the minerals sector, including in Eastern DRC. We are strong supporters of DRC efforts to fully implement the extractive industry transparency initiative (EITI). Together with the World Bank and the DRC Ministry of Mines we are currently developing a multi-year mining sector reform programme which aims to transform the way the sector is managed and ensure that the Government extends their control over all mining activities in DRC.
	Baroness Kinnock, Minister for Africa, visited Uganda in February and raised the issue of transparency in the oil industry with the Foreign Minister and President Museveni stressing the importance of a transparent and responsible framework for the management of oil revenue and encouraging the Government to sign up to the EITI. She also discussed this with the EU head of mission in Kampala who agreed with the need for concerted efforts in this area.

Distress for Rent Rules 1988

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the policy documents that led to the Distress for Rent Rules 1988 (SI 1988/2050).

Lord Bach: A search of archived records failed to trace any policy documents that led to the Distress for Rent Rules 1988. However, further research identified a public consultation paper entitled Consultation Paper on the Distress for Rent Rules 1983, dated March 1987 which was issued by the Lord Chancellor's Department and a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 19 May 2009 (WA 290), how the statement in that Answer that the aim of the research at Newcastle funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) is to "develop a reproducible method of generating human embryonic stem cells following the transfer of the nucleus of an adult somatic cell into an oocyte" relates to the statement in the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 10 March 2010 (WA 74-5) that the "MRC does not currently support any research which aims to derive patient-specific stem cells by human somatic cell nuclear transfer".

Lord Drayson: As stated in the previous Answer of 5 May 2009 (WA95), the MRC has funded one project relating to human somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The award, held by the University of Newcastle, aims to improve the efficiency of SCNT in human oocytes. The project will not derive stem cells for use in the treatment of patients.

EU: Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to implement the proposed alternative investment fund managers directive if it is agreed by qualified majority voting; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that proposed directive on the United Kingdom's financial and economic interests and level of unemployment.

Lord Myners: Once the European Council and the European Parliament achieve a consensus and the alternative investment fund manager directive is adopted, the Government are required to implement it under Articles 288 and 291 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Failure to do so within the time allowed in the directive for its implementation would be a breach of EU law, entitling the EU Commission to bring infraction proceedings against the United Kingdom under Article 258 of the treaty.
	The FSA commissioned an assessment of the effects of the proposals in the directive which can be found on its website at http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/other/Impact_of_AIFM_Directive.pdf.

European Protection Order

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will opt into the proposal for a European protection order.

Lord Bach: As I said on 11 March, the Government have three months from the publication of the proposal to decide whether to opt into this proposal. The Government are still undertaking the process required before it is able to officially express an opinion on opt in. As soon as this process ends the House of Lords European Union Select Committee will be informed and I will ensure that the noble Lord is informed at the same time.

Gaza

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the European Union Council of Ministers has approved a visit by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, to Gaza; and, if so, when it will take place.

Lord Brett: Procedurally, approval of the European Union Council of Ministers is not required for the intended visit of High Representative Baroness Ashton to Gaza. Baroness Ashton visited Gaza on 18 March.

Health: Drugs

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Health, Mr Kenneth Clarke, on 4 December 1984 (Official Report, Commons, col. 172-4W) regarding 15 grant-aided scientific studies of the side-effects of benzodiazepines, whether the results of those studies were published; if so, whether copies are available; and whether any further studies were supported after 1984.

Lord Drayson: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant-in-aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The MRC does not hold comprehensive information on research papers relating to the 15 studies reported in the response given on 4 December 1984 (Official Report, Commons, col. 172-4W), and for other studies on the side effects of benzodiazepines funded until 1996. To obtain this information would require accessing and reviewing numerous hard copy documents and could therefore only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	Since 1996 the MRC has funded five grants relating to benzodiazepines, which have all now ended. The details of these grants are:
	Professor S Killcross, University of York/Cardiff University-the role of the amygdala in conditioned fear and anxiety (1/11/1998-30/9/2004 £309k);Dr J Pratt, University of Strathclyde-the neurochemistry of benzodiazepine withdrawal; a focus on glutamate and dopamine (1/9/1997-31/8/1998 £39k);Professor D Stephens, University of Sussex- a pilot study on the kindling hypothesis of dependence on sedative-hypnotic drugs (1/2/1996-31/1/1997 £37.5k);Professor D Stephens, University of Sussex-sensitisation to repeated withdrawal from alcohol and benzodiazepines (1/9/1999-31/08/2004 £1.2m); and Professor A M Thomson, Royal Free and UCL Medical School-modulation of morphologically defined inhibitory synapses by benzodiazepines barbiturates and steroids (1/1/96-31/12/98 £352k).

Health: Teenage Pregnancy

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy target on under-18 conceptions; and what have been the reductions in rates each year since it was set.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The target of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy is to halve the under-18 conception rate by 2010, compared to the 1998 baseline rate. The latest available data (for 2008) show a reduction of 13.3 per cent since baseline.
	We will not know what level of reduction we will have achieved against the target until February 2012, when the 2010 data are published. Progress to date is behind the required trajectory. Nevertheless, teenage pregnancy rates are at their lowest level for over 20 years.
	The table below shows under-18 conception numbers and rates for each year from 1998 to 2008.
	
		
			 Table 1: Under-18 Conceptions for England: 1998-2008 
			 Year Under 18 conceptions Under 18 conception rate* 
			 1998 41,089 46.6 
			 1999 39,247 44.8 
			 2000 38,699 43.6 
			 2001 38,461 42.5 
			 2002 39,350 42.7 
			 2003 39,553 42.2 
			 2004 39,593 41.6 
			 2005 39,804 41.3 
			 2006 39,170 40.6 
			 2007 40,366 41.7 
			 2008 **38,750 **40.4 
		
	
	Source: Office for National Statistics and Teenage Pregnancy Unit, 2010
	* per thousand females aged 15-17
	** 2008 data are provisional

Health: Teenage Pregnancy

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding is provided annually to (a) the Department for Children, Schools and Families's Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group, and (b) the Department of Health's Teenage Pregnancy National Support Team.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The budget allocated for 2009-10 by the Department for Children Schools and Families to support the work of the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group is £46,500.
	The budget allocated for 2009-10 by the Department of Health to support the work carried out by the Teenage Pregnancy National Support Team is £670,000.

Independent Networks Co-operative Association

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request the National Audit Office to investigate the formation, management and accounts of the Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA) and request accounts to be submitted for outstanding years; whether they will place such accounts in the Library of the House; what progress the Mutual Societies Permissions, Decisions and Reporting Division, Supervision Business Unit of the Financial Services Authority is making in investigating the organisation; how much money they have paid to the INCA each year; and which department paid the money.

Lord Young of Norwood Green: There are no plans for government to make these requests. In the Digital Britain Report, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills committed £150,000 to INCA over three years, to support the development of local and regional networks.

Internet: Usage

Lord Acton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many adults in the United Kingdom they estimate have never used the internet.

Lord Young of Norwood Green: 10.2 million adults, representing 21 per cent of the UK adult population, are estimated never to have used the internet according to the Office for National Statistics report The National Statistics Omnibus Survey published in August 2009. The information may be found at http://www.statistics.gov. uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=8.

Legal Aid

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a mentally ill patient who is judged incompetent to follow tribunal proceedings has an automatic right to free legal representation under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Lord Bach: Legal aid is available without reference to the client's financial resources for an application to the First-tier Tribunal (mental health), and for Deprivation of Liberty cases in the Court of Protection.
	Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights does not create an automatic right to civil legal aid. It may however require legal aid to be provided in certain circumstances, depending on the nature of the proceedings, and the capabilities of the client. The rules of the civil legal aid scheme aim to satisfy the requirements of Article 6, as demonstrated, for example, by the means-free provision available in mental health tribunal and Deprivation of Liberty proceedings, and by the potential for any client to apply for exceptional funding on human rights grounds.

Marine Environment: Protection

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are collaborating with other Commonwealth countries and the Commonwealth Secretariat in establishing networks of marine protected areas, and in particular to help local fisheries in developing countries of the Commonwealth.

Lord Brett: The Department for International Development (DfID) has been supporting a number of Commonwealth institutions including the Commonwealth Foundation, the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit and the Commonwealth Human Ecology Unit, in developing a Commonwealth strategy on fisheries. This strategy considers marine protected areas as future components of, rather than solutions to, more effective fisheries management. Previously DfID has also worked with Commonwealth Secretariat to examine trade and governance-related aspects of fisheries, including illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, and the impacts of fisheries access agreements on Commonwealth states.
	In addition, DfID is providing £7 million in support of the New Partnership for African Development under the Partnership for African Fisheries. The aim is to ensure fisheries contribute sustainably to African economic growth and food security. Several countries are receiving support under this initiative include Ghana and Sierra Leone.

Media: Newspapers

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to alter the Information Commissioner's powers to enable him to require newspapers to provide details of their legal protection against the use of confidential information.

Lord Bach: I understand the Question to be about the Government's plans, if any, to alter the Information Commissioner's powers to require newspapers to provide him with details of legal advice they have received about their potential use of confidential information.
	There are no such plans at present. The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) provides the Information Commissioner with the power to serve information notices, which require data controllers to provide such information as is necessary to determine compliance with the data protection principles. Where an information notice is served on a data controller who processes personal data for the special purposes of journalism, art or literature, the Information Commissioner must first consider whether the data in question might be processed for one or more of those special purposes, and hence whether a special information notice might be more appropriate. Information supplied under a special information notice should allow the Information Commissioner to determine whether information is indeed being processed for special purposes or not. Information processed for special purposes is exempt from certain requirements under the DPA.
	Additionally, the DPA provides for the Information Commissioner to carry out a good practice assessment of any processing of personal data, with the data controller's consent, to assess compliance with the data protection principles. The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 introduced a new power for the Information Commissioner to serve an assessment notice on government departments which would allow him to enter their premises to assess compliance with the data protection principles without requiring their consent. The Act allows the Secretary of State to extend the assessment notice power to include additional categories of data controllers following a recommendation by the Information Commissioner, consultation with the Commissioner and with the, relevant category of data controllers. Such a recommendation could include newspapers, however, an assessment notice would not permit the Information Commissioner to assess the processing of personal data for one or more of the special purposes.

Media: Newspapers

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider introducing legislation to prevent newspapers from offering money in return for people discontinuing legal action against them.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The UK press is independent of state regulation. Newspapers are governed by the general law and the Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice. The Government do not intend to introduce additional specific legislation to address this issue.

Northern Ireland: Car Bombs

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) became aware of a car being on fire following the bombing at Newry Courthouse on 22 February; at what date and time the fire service extinguished the fire; at what date and time the PSNI visited the site at which the car was located; where the car is now; and whether the PSNI requested the support of the Army to investigate the car.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: This is an operational matter for the chief constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the noble Lord, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Opposition: Shadow Ministerial Visits

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any information has been released following a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office relating to the visit of the Shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to China in 2006; if so, to whom; and when.

Lord Brett: One Freedom of Information request has recently been received by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office relating to the visit of the Shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to China in 2006. The request is currently being dealt with in accordance with standard FOI procedures, but no decisions have yet been made on the disclosure of any information that may be held.

Opposition: Shadow Ministerial Visits

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any information has been released following a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office relating to the visit of the Shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to Cuba in March 2009; if so, to whom; and when.

Lord Brett: One Freedom of Information request has recently been received by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office relating to the visit of the Shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to Cuba in 2009. The request is currently being dealt with in accordance with standard FOI procedures, but no decisions have yet been made on the disclosure of any information that may be held.

People Trafficking

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had in the last year with states of origin or transit about trafficked children and adults; and what the effects of those discussions have been on preventing trafficking and arresting traffickers.

Lord West of Spithead: The Government are committed to working with international partners to combat human trafficking. This includes source, transit and destination countries.
	Discussions and co-operation with source and transit countries with the aim of reducing trafficking are on-going activities. Much of our international co-operation is facilitated through the EU and other regional European organisations, such as the OSCE. Beyond the EU, our efforts are routed primarily through engagement with the relevant UN bodies and also bilaterally through campaigns and liaison with regional organisations and individual countries, often working in conjunction with SOCA and other government departments such as DfID and the Foreign Office.

Police: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government to whom the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland makes a request for the support of the Armed Forces if he decides that the civilian authorities in Northern Ireland require it.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: All requests by the chief constable for military support to the civil authorities in Northern Ireland are made, through the Northern Ireland Office, to the Ministry of Defence.

Police: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of serving full-time regular officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland are (a) Roman Catholics, (b) Protestants, and (c) followers of other religions.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: As at 1 March 2010, the composition within full-time regular officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is:
	27.99 per cent Catholic;
	69.70 per cent Protestant; and
	2.31 per cent not determined.

Railways: Light Rail

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what studies they have undertaken on the costs of constructing light rail transit systems in Great Britain compared with the rest of Europe; and what are the results of such studies.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in assessing light rail transit systems, they give appropriate weight to the benefits to all users as well as the effects on motorists in cities.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs of ground works and foundations used in preparing for light rail transit systems in Great Britain compared with other European countries.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether proposals for light rail transit systems in Great Britain will require reconstructing affected utility services rather than diverting trains around any utility works; and whether they have compared the respective costs.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the costs of reconstructing highways following the construction of a light rail transit system in Great Britain will be charged to the system.

Lord Adonis: My department has not undertaken any specific studies on the costs of constructing light rail systems in Great Britain compared with the rest of Europe. However, the National Audit Office in its report titled Improving Public Transport in England through Light Rail published in April 2004 did consider European systems against those in operation in England.
	There are crucial differences in urban geography which make light rail ideally suited to some French and German cities. Trams are most cost-effective in corridors of very heavy passenger demand. These can support frequent services and closely spaced stops, and generate high patronage per route kilometre. Broad avenues leading to French/German city centres make it relatively easy to accommodate street-running trams without conflict with motor traffic whilst narrower city centre streets have often been pedestrianised. Both these sorts of conditions are relatively rare in English cities. In addition population density in catchment areas of our existing tram systems tends to be much lower than in continental cities, with less frequent services and stops.
	Any proposed light rail transit system that is seeking funding from the Department for Transport is assessed using the new approach to appraisal (NATA) process. The NATA process ensures that all impacts are considered when taking a decision about whether to fund a particular system. This includes an assessment of the impact on all transport users including light rail passengers. The NATA process uses the same approach to assessing benefits across all modes of transport.
	With regards to utility services, utility companies, along with a number of other organisations, have a statutory right to place apparatus in the highway to enable them to fulfil a statutory duty, for instance the supply of energy or water. If a highway, bridge or transport authority is intending to carry out works in the highway that will affect apparatus, then it is only fair that the cost of moving that apparatus should be met by the organisation that requires the apparatus to be moved.
	Promoters of light rail systems will factor in any costs associated with utility diversions into the total estimated scheme costs.

Rwanda

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to engage in long-term reintegration projects for Rwandan refugees living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and wishing to return to Rwanda.

Lord Brett: There are no plans for long-term reintegration projects specifically targeted at Rwandan refugees returning to Rwanda from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Department for International Development (DfID) is committed to supporting the long-term development of Rwanda and provides £50 million in development assistance per annum. DfID funding is helping to improve education and health services and providing social protection for the very poor in Rwanda, services which will also benefit returning Rwandan citizens.

Rwanda

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide increased funding for the repatriation of Rwandan civilians leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo and returning to Rwanda.

Lord Brett: In 2009 the UK provided £27 million to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). £19 million was core funding, which benefits all UNHCR operations, including in Rwanda where the Commission is assisting returning Rwandan civilians to reintegrate into society. We do not anticipate significant changes in the volume of our support to LTNHCR, nor to the mechanisms through which this support is channelled.

Rwanda

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (a) to monitor resettlement of Rwandan refugees beyond the two nights spent in transit camps in Rwanda, and (b) to help those refugees to reintegrate into Rwandan society.

Lord Brett: In 2009 the UK provided £27 million to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). £19 million was core funding, which benefits all UNHCR operations, including in Rwanda. UNHCR conducts regular monitoring visits to returned refugees in Rwanda. These visits are undertaken by both international and local staff, and focus on the provision of health, education and housing. Returnees are provided with three months' rations, household and farming implements and building materials.

Rwanda

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the degree to which civilians and ex-combatants returning to Rwanda from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo return to the DRC after initial reintegration and then reattempt the process for social and economic reasons.

Lord Brett: The Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission oversee the return of ex-combatants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Rwanda. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) assists returning refugees to reintegrate into Rwandan society. It is difficult to monitor the numbers of civilians and ex-combatants returning to DRC after reintegration in Rwanda, but these institutions assess that the number is not significant. They also advise that, due to improved identity controls, the numbers attempting return and reintegration a second time are negligible.

Schools: Sex and Relationship Education

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of girls are withdrawn from sex and relationship education in state schools in England; what proportion of girls in state schools in England became pregnant in the last five years for which records are available; and what proportion of them had withdrawn from sex and relationship education.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: There is no routine collection of data on the number of children (boys or girls) who have been withdrawn from sex and relationships education (SRE) by their parents. A one-off survey by Ofsted in 2002 reported that 0.04 per cent of pupils (four in 10,000) were withdrawn from SRE, but it did not include a gender breakdown.
	Teenage pregnancy data are supplied by the Office for National Statistics and are derived by combining abortion notifications and birth registrations. Data are expressed as a rate per 1,000 females aged 15-17 and can be disaggregated to ward-level, but is not individualised as medical records are confidential. So even if data were available on children who had been withdrawn from SRE, it would not be possible to show whether or not they had conceived before age 18.
	Teenage pregnancy rates for each year from 1998 (the baseline year for the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy) to 2008 (the latest year for which data are available) are shown in the table below. The under-18 conception rate has fallen by 13.3 per cent over this period.
	
		
			 Table 1: Under-18 Conceptions for England: 1998-2008 
			 Year Under 18 conceptions Under 18 conception rate* 
			 1998 41,089 46.6 
			 1999 39,247 44.8 
			 2000 38,699 43.6 
			 2001 38,461 42.5 
			 2002 39,350 42.7 
			 2003 39,553 42.2 
			 2004 39,593 41.6 
			 2005 39,804 41.3 
			 2006 39,170 40.6 
			 2007 40,366 41.7 
			 2008 **38,750 **40.4 
		
	
	Source: Office for National Statistics and Teenage Pregnancy Unit, 2010
	* per thousand females aged 15-17
	** 2008 data are provisional

Thailand: Prisoners

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek to amend the prisoner transfer agreement with Thailand to take into account changes in sentencing practices in the United Kingdom and Thailand since the agreement was signed.

Lord Bach: Officials are considering whether amendments to the prisoner transfer agreement between the United Kingdom and Thailand might be appropriate. A decision on whether to seek any amendments has not yet been made by Ministers.

Tower of London: Funding

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what department funds Historic Royal Palaces in relation to the Tower of London; what was the total funding for the 2008-09 financial year; and whether any of those funds are used in connection with any activities of the Constable of the Tower.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) has charitable status and receives its funding from admission charges and the support of its members, donors, volunteers and sponsors. HRP cares for the palaces on behalf of the Secretary of State, under contract with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). In 2008-09, DCMS funded repair works costing £441,000 to the Fusiliers Building at the Tower of London as it has direct responsibility for this building. HRP acted as DCMS's agent in managing this restoration project. No DCMS funds were used in connection with the activities of the Constable of the Tower.

Transport: Appraisals

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether financial appraisals carried out using the new approach to appraisal for transport projects will take into account the financial benefits of small time savings.

Lord Adonis: All economic appraisals prepared in accordance with the new approach to appraisal provide an account of the value of resultant time savings-both large and small.

Wales: Transport

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have for improving road and rail connections between north and south Wales.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Road and rail transport in Wales is devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government.
	The Assembly's National Transport Plan, published in July 2009, set out the detail of how the Wales Transport Strategy will be delivered over the next five years. This includes plans for an integrated transport system in Wales, in particular setting out solutions to transport issues along the main movement corridors in Wales including the north/south corridor.
	On north/south road links, these include the trunk road programme, with improvements to the A470, the A487 and the A483, and the completion of the Ceredigion link road. The Assembly Government are also examining opportunities for using two-plus-one lanes and passing lanes to improve north-south journey times, reliability and safety for cars, public transport, walkers and cyclists.
	On north/south rail links the plan outlines a programme of continued improvements including enhancing the capacity of the section of rail between Shrewsbury and Chester via Wrexham, enabling all north-south services to be routed through Wrexham. The aim is to increase dramatically the proportion of journeys that are made by public transport by improving rail travel and the TrawsCambria bus network. Over time, we should see a better service, covering more communities, in greater comfort.